Vietnamese war Began in 1955, nearly 8000 miles from the USA, the thick and remote jungles of southern Vietnam. While now they slowly deployed to Vietnam in the 1950s, the complete deployment of combat units began in 1965.

Fighting would soon expand to Laos and Cambodia, and CIA employs and training thousands Hmong people fight on behalf of Americans during a secret operation in Laos known as “Secret war.“

But the effort to stop the spread of communism in Southeast Asia collapsed on April 30, 1975. The fall of Saigon, when American troops evacuated the country. According to the National Archives, more than 58,220 Americans were killed in the war.

As many as 3.5 million Vietnam were killed, including soldiers on both sides of the conflict and civilians.

More than 80,000 Hmong soldiers AI refugees died, as well as 20,000 Laotians.

Government of Anderson’s relocation plans

Minnesota has a rich history of cheerleading refugees in the country, and was among the top 10 countries throughout the country to do so after the end of the war.

In October 1975, Minnesota received the largest number of refugees of Southeast Asia in the Middle West, according to the then Gov. Wendell Anderson.

But did the governor think, in the long run, in order to get these refugees they need in the country? What help should you do in the future? And how would they adapt and succeed in a place with a completely different culture and language?

In December 1975, Anderson founded the Office for the relocation of Indochinese, which later became the 1981 refugee programs office. The office collaborated with groups such as Catholic Charity Organizations, Lutheran Social Services and the US Red Cross, along with local families, church groups and social organizations to sponsors the refugee families and help them place in their new homes.

Anderson also created Indochines refugee work group to advise his office, in which he included representatives of social service organizations, the Vietnam-American Association, Cambodian refugee community, welfare departments, employment services and education and private sector.

The working group had two main jobs: collect information on Households of Southeast Asia in the country and provided information on classes, programs and recent laws of the refugee community.

The working group would also do their best to deal with racial discrimination, employment of bias and language obstacles that refugees face upon arriving in Minnesota.

The best estimates show that there are more than 16,000 Laotic immigrants in Minnesota today; more than 33,000 Vietnamese immigrants; and almost 12,000 Cambodian immigrants.

And with nearly 95,000 immigrants of HMONG, Minnesota is home to HMONG’s highest concentration in America.

This story is part of the documentary movie Pauleen Le “Vietnam 50 years later: thinking about a war that changed Minnesota. “

Join the WCCO Wednesday, May 7th at 5 pm, on a special project at Concordia College in St. Paulo – whose host is the HMONG Studies Center:

• Buener Education Center (Vienna)
• 1282 Concordia Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55104
• Students are encouraged to park in Lot A, Carroll or Syndicate Street

Watch the full documentary below, or On our YouTube channel.

Pauleen Le

Pauleen is a journalist with passion for stories. Nothing makes her happier than talking to ordinary extraordinary people and using beautiful pictures and firm writing to share their incredible stories with the world.